This invention relates to tires and, more particularly, to tires containing reflective elements.
Reflective elements have been employed on the sidewalls of tires for two reasons. They have been employed to esthetically improve the appearance of the tire as a decorative piece. An example of this type disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,634.
Reflective elements have also been placed on the sidewalls of tires as safety features. The reflective elements give an observer warning of the existence of the vehicle at night time by reflecting back the light originating from the observer's vehicle or another source. An example of this type disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 3,382,908. Most recently, this principle has been applied to the sidewalls of bicycle tires. In this recent application the bicycle tires are provided with annular bands of reflective tape, located on the lateral portion of the sidewall in a position similar to the white sidewall on an automobile tire.
This invention deals with the second of the above-disclosed uses. It will be noted that the use of the reflective element as a safety feature has only been disclosed as being located on the laterally visible portion of the sidewall so that the reflection occurs from light directed at the tire from a direction perpendicular to the circumferential plane of the tire. More importantly, this prior use has not disclosed any feature by which the relative speed of the tire, and accordingly, the vehicle carrying the tire, can be determined.
It is an object of this invention to provide the tire with a reflective surface that can reflect light which strikes the tire in a direction parallel to the circumferential plane of the tire; that is, light directed at right angles to the tread surface or the road-engaging surface of the tire.
It is a further object of this invention to place these reflective elements in the tire so that the relative speed of the tire may be determined by the optic response that the reflective elements provide. That is, it is an object of this invention to so locate the reflective elements on the tire that the observer can tell from the reflections therefrom the specific speed range in which the tire is rotating. Ideally, the observer will be able to determine if the tire is running at a slow or fast speed and, more specifically, whether the tire is running at speeds of 10 or 20 mile per hour increments.
The tire of this invention provides safe tires which includes elements which will enable an observer to determine the speed at which the tire is rotating during the night hours.